Metamorphosis
by OpheliacAngel
Summary: Ed is slipping away... he manages to lose his little brother and himself in the course of a week. This shows his metamorphosis from a human into a bloodthirsty creature. Takes place pre movie when Frankie turns Edward. Love this movie with a fiery passion
1. Loss

**Metamorphosis**

**Chapter 1: Loss**

Edward curled up on his couch and tried to get some sleep. He was exhausted by all that had happened the last few months. Nearly every person on the planet was a bloodsucking creature that hunted humans and whose greed consumed the good left out there. He closed his eyes but he only felt worse by being rewarded with a headache that just throbbed and throbbed. There were flashes of what had occurred last week, words he hoped to never hear spoken to him. The only family he had left in the world was corrupted. Corrupted and thirsty.

"Hello?"

"Ed."

"Frankie? You realize what time it is. It's 3 o'clock in the morning."

"Yeah I know. I couldn't sleep."

"Everything okay? Nothing happened out there right?"

"No. Nothing happened."

"Then why are you calling?"

The longest pause he had ever experienced. And now looking back on it, it was for a reason. Frankie wasn't sure at the time how he would react.

"Ed…I did it."

"Did what?"

"Ed…I'm sorry."

"Sorry? Frankie what the hell are you talking about?"

"It was the only way to make it through alive out here. Everyone on the team's done it now."

"Frankie, what did you do?"

"I had Charlie turn me, Ed."

Edward let the phone slip out of his fingers. Everything was draining away, they had taken his Frankie away from him. His eyes grew wide and he had to grab onto the table to prevent himself from falling. Frankie…No…

"Ed? Ed, you still there?"

He picked the phone back up and regretted now what he had said.

"Don't call here again, Frankie."

He hung up and walked to the cabinet to drink some red wine to calm his nerves. He was shaking so badly, with rage and with hurt. Frankie had hurt him, in the worst possible way. He had promised him he wouldn't turn. And now it was over. It was done. There was no turning back from that. He threw the bottle at the wall and watched as the blood-like wine poured everywhere, soaking him and his shirt along with the floor and walls. He screamed and cried, sinking down to the floor. And with his head in his hands, he wept for what he had just lost.

**To be continued…**


	2. Knocking on Reality's Door

**Metamorphosis**

**Chapter 2: Knocking on Reality's Door**

Edward's headache became less intense the more he relived the events of the past week. But he didn't want to relive them. There wasn't much he could do but just close his eyes and let memory guide him through the hurt and the pain and the anger that that was nothing he could have done. He had been like a little butterfly when Frankie had flown on top of him. He could still feel himself sinking, sinking like he had done when his brother's fangs were in his neck. He had let the pain take him and had left it all to Frankie to deal with the aftermath for the time being. But that hadn't changed the fact that he was now having to deal with the aftermath himself. And there was one to turn to. How could he talk to Frankie when he could barely look him in the eyes now? There were days when he hated him, hated him for what he promised never to do. But then there were days when he was just too tired to hate, which were becoming more and more. He knew his brother had done it out of love for him. That he would rather have gone behind his back to protect him rather than listen to him and let him die. But he still hated him.

Cause he would have died, he knew, if he remained a human. He would have been dead in the next day or so. But he didn't care. He would have died to honor humanity. His humanity.

Knock knock.

"Who is it?"

"Ed, let me in."

He had wearily gotten up and unlatched the door to let his younger brother step inside.

"What do you want, Frankie?"

"I just need a place to stay for a few days."

Edward nodded and walked towards the kitchen to get him some wine.

"You can have the spare room upstairs. It's already set up for you."

Frankie followed him to the kitchen. Edward stared at him in disgust as he pulled a bottle of red looking stuff out of his duffel bag. He knew what it was. Blood. His brother, who was in the armed forces hunting down the last remaining humans, got bottles of it for free. This wasn't the first one he had seen, just the first one he had seen that belonged to his brother. He stepped away and splashed some water on his face from the sink.

"You treat it like it's poison."

"That's cause it is poison."

Edward looked back up and could have sworn his brother's eyes just turned red.

"I have to drink it. To survive."

"Yeah, cause you went and turned yourself into a damn bloodsucker."

"We live in a world filled with vampires right now. It's normal. It's necessary. Of course, you were never one to adapt to change. And you're gonna get yourself killed one day because of it."

"Gee Frankie, I never knew you wanted to be like everyone else. I never knew you wanted to be a freak."

Frankie wanted to inch up closer but his brother didn't look too good. He was clearly agitated. So he kept his distance for the time being.

"You really would have wanted me to stay human? It would have killed me."

"You don't know that."

Ed ran a hand through his hair and tried like hell not to walk away. Deep down he knew he and Frankie needed to have this talk. And it was better done sooner than later.

"Stop lying to yourself. Of course it would have. And it's not ethical to have humans hunt humans."

"Oh, and you think it's ethical to turn yourself into one of those things?"

"Things? Vampires Ed, vampires. I'm a vampire. And it's time you start to accept it. Cause this was my choice. I chose to survive. And you want to hate me for that?"

Edward sighed in frustration and walked closer. As close as he allowed himself to go, which was still about a foot away from Frankie.

"I don't hate you Frankie. I'm just disgusted with you. I just can't deal with this right now."

He turned away from him and paced around the kitchen.

"I came here to make peace with you big brother."

"Just get that thing out of my kitchen", he pointed to the full bottle.

Frankie stepped closer to his brother but he only stepped farther away. He sighed and put it back in his bag.

"Happy now?"

"Not really", Edward shrank away from his last remaining family.

"Ed listen."

He looked back up into his brother's eyes, where he saw no red this time.

"You promised me. You promised me you would never resort to this."

He could feel the tears coming now. And he'd be damned to allow himself to let them fall in front of his younger brother. But what could he do? He was pushed past his breaking point ages ago. He couldn't deal. Edward Dalton was a fighter. But it was becoming harder and harder for him to fight in a world like this. And it was too late to fight for his brother. He had let him down, let him slip right through his fingers.

"Well, what was I supposed to do? I'm pretty vulnerable in this world when I'm a human, Ed."

He begged Frankie to understand for his sake. Forcing him to look into his eyes and see the extent of the pain he had caused him.

"You should have kept your promise."

Frankie paused and licked his lips, remembering past life with Ed.

"Remember when we were kids? We always promised that we would look after each other. No matter what."

Edward turned away and shook his head, remembering all those times. He had been the one to say it the most, him being the eldest. It was too late to look after Frankie now.

"You're not looking out for me. You never did."

"I've always looked out for you!"

"No Frankie. You're just…You're not my brother anymore."

"You don't mean that!"

"Just go away, Frankie."

His little brother just stood there, horrorstruck at what he was saying. Ed turned around and hated himself for saying those things but hating Frankie for doing this to himself. He was a monster. A sickening monster who was in his house trying to make him understand. Well, he couldn't understand. In fact, it was his brother who couldn't understand.

"I love you, Edward. I always have. And I'm doing this for you. Because you would do the same for me."

Edward shook his head and saw his brother advance towards him out of the corner of his eye.

"Frankie?"

He was so scared and he couldn't stop his body from shaking violently as his brother walked forward, arms held out as if to hug him but with a certain look in his eye that Ed did not like one bit. Edward walked backwards, terrified, nearly crashing into the wall. He led Frankie out to the living room.

"I'm so sorry big brother. But I love you far too much."

Frankie lunged.

**To be continued…**


	3. Pulling out the Wings of a Butterfly

**Metamorphosis**

**Chapter 3: Pulling out the Wings of a Butterfly**

**Present**

Frankie sat on the steps leading up to the second floor. Thinking and waiting. Edward would be home any time now. All he had to do was wait, wait and think back wondering if there was anything more he could have done. Anything more he could have said. He could remember the words spoken better than anything else…

**Past**

Frankie lunged.

Edward screamed in agony and fought against it. But Frankie was too strong and as more and more of his precious blood drained away he grew weaker and weaker. He could feel himself sinking down into death, into darkness, into nothing. And he thought this is what it must feel like to die. This was it. It was over. His humanity, his life was over.

_Please just let me go, Frankie. This is too much. I'm dying and the pain is…depleting. _

He didn't only feel himself sinking emotionally, it was physically too. Although he really couldn't keep track of much anymore. His sight was gone, his hearing and his sense of smell too. Everything went numb and the pain started to fade away into the background as he sank farther into the abyss and into the recesses of his mind. And the only thing he felt was Frankie holding him up and lowering him down to the ground. His teeth were still in his neck, he was still drinking his blood as if he was just some form of prey some form of meat. He had held one of the last fragments of humanity in him and now it was extinguished.

_You just devoured my soul. _

He faded and he drowned and he wanted more than anything to breach the surface and breathe. Cause right now he couldn't breathe at all. And there was nothing left to breathe for anyway. His eyes were closed and he was gone. The last thing he felt was someone stroking his hair and he could almost hear the words of apology. He could almost hear the words of loss.

_I love you brother. I only wish you knew how much. _

Gone…

**Present**

Frankie looked up as the door clicked open and his brother shuffled inside, looking like hell and barely able to keep himself on his feet. Frankie walked over but Edward put his hands up in warning.

"Don't touch me."

"Ed…"

"Just leave me alone."

He threw his coat on the back of a chair, rolled up his sleeves, and collapsed on the couch.

"You should eat something" Frankie tried.

He wouldn't quit that easily. Especially when it came to his brother.

"Don't need to anymore remember?"

Edward laid back and shut his eyes, rubbing a hand tiredly over his face.

"That's not what I meant. And have you even been getting any sleep?"

"Not lately."

Frankie sighed, "I just want you to be okay big brother."

"I'm fine."

"No, you're not. Look at yourself."

Ed opened his eyes and looked up at the figure standing directly above him.

"What about me?"

"You're killing yourself, Ed. You need to drink."

"No."

"Please. For me.

"No. I can't."

"Edward."

"Just because you turned me into this doesn't mean I'm gonna play by the rules."

"You'd really let yourself die?"

"Better than living like this."

"Fine", Frankie stormed out of the room and was seconds away from escaping through that door when…

"Wait."

He stopped in his tracks and looked behind him. His brother was off the couch and struggling to stand, pleading him with his eyes, and ready to chase after him if need be. Frankie suddenly felt guilty and walked closer, wrapping his arms around the only thing he cared about anymore, the only thing he ever cared about. Even when he left home Edward was never far from his thoughts. They were brothers and they looked after each other. Cause they loved each other.

"I won't stand by and watch you kill yourself."

"I know. Just don't leave."

"I'm right here with you bro. Right here every step of the way."

"Don't leave me, Frankie. I can't do this alone."

"You'll never be alone."

**Past**

Edward came to feeling like he had been run over by a train, like he had been drowned and dumped on the side of the road and left there in agony for days. His eyes were glued shut and strangely that's what pissed him off the most. He couldn't look at this pitch black anymore. He was alive now, at least that's what he thought, and he should be able to see light, anything at all. But he couldn't see and he fought against it with every bit of strength that he had lost coming back to him. He groaned and it took a few minutes for him to move. But he didn't waste any amount of time when he gained control of his limbs. He flew up from his laying position. But he instantly regretted it. Gasping for breath and falling immediately back down was not on his list of accomplishments for today. And the pain was back with a new ferocity.

"Ed."

Was that…Was that Frankie?

He opened his mouth but words wouldn't come out, just like his eyes still wouldn't open.

"Don't try to talk. It takes a little while to recover."

Little while? How long had he even been out?

_Goddammit Frankie, talk. Talk!_

"I was worried. You were out for five hours. That must be a new record. Although, he mumbled, they say people who hold on to humanity stronger than most have it harder."

Stronger than most? What, so people just let go of being normal and human that easily? Apparently.

_What have you done to me, Frankie? What am I now?_

"Ed? You okay?"

He didn't respond cause he couldn't. But he wouldn't have responded anyway. He wanted Frankie to feel guilty. He had done this to him. He didn't deserve the satisfaction of knowing he was okay.

"Drink."

A glass was placed to his lips and Edward obeyed cause his thirst had to be quenched. Though he didn't find it satisfying. And the thing he knew he would find satisfying scared him more than he could say. He would eventually have to drink it. Blood. The thought of it made him gag. A warm hand was placed to the back of his neck and he was pulled slowly upwards as he drank more and more. It was strange. Vampires were supposed to be ice cold, that's probably why he was shaking so badly. But Frankie actually felt warm, like a human. He even smelled human. The glass was pulled away and instead of being lowered back down, which he really didn't want, his brother wrapped his arms around him and pulled him into a hug. Edward was too weak to hold on but he didn't need to cause Frankie was holding on to him so tightly, as if he would just run away spur of the moment when he couldn't even hold himself up. Part of Ed wanted to push this monster away and fall back down, but there was something so comforting about his brother right now that he didn't want him to let go. He felt human, he smelled like his brother, and he himself felt love emanating from his transformer. He could feel him stroking his hair and crying, and that was what made his eyes fly open.

"I thought I lost you, Ed."

He choked back further tears and pulled Edward away to look at him. His eyes were open now but he was still shivering pretty badly so he reached down to the couch to grab a blanket lying there and wrapped it around him, still holding him.

"Frankie."

His voice still sounded pretty weak, but that didn't keep his little brother from smiling so wide like he had when they were kids. Ed was gonna be okay. He was gonna be more than okay now that he wasn't a human. His now yellow eyes looked him straight in his own eyes, and he felt a surge of pride, of love, a surge of confidence. Him and his big brother were now officially united once more. And Frankie loved this feeling. So he didn't, like an idiot, feel the least bit of doubt when he held another glass, a different glass to his lips this time. A glass he had filled with his own blood. All for Edward. Poured from his body with love from him. He just didn't think he would've had such a strong reaction.

"No."

Ed wanted it to come out as a scream, an outraged cry. But he was still too weak to live up to that. So it sounded more like a plea. Not the effect he wanted to have on Frankie.

"Ed you have to. It gets harder if you hold off longer."

"I said no."

"Sooner or later…"

"Get out of my goddamn house!"

Edward felt a powerful surge of anger rise up in him. This enabled his voice to sound menacing and threatening, even more so than when he had been human. And he loved that he was able to knock the glass right out of his hands and watch it shatter to the floor. It looked so decadent so good so…No. Absolutely not. He would never give in.

He thought Frankie would get mad, but he didn't. He just let go, so no more comforting arms surrounded him, but he could hold himself up now anyway. He held up his hands and walked back upstairs but Edward didn't feel the slightest bit guilty. Because Frankie had turned him, this was his fault, he had made him into the bloodthirsty monster he now was. He screamed once more before his need for blood caught up with him and knocked him out without another thought flowing through his enraged mind.

**Present**

"I'm gonna leave. For a little while at least."

Edward looked up from his comfy position on the couch. His brother was standing at the door leading away from his life, bags packed and face surprisingly full of regret and grief. He suddenly didn't want him to go.

"You don't have to do that."

He got up and walked over because that was his brother standing there, that was his brother leaving him here like this. He was broken. Frankie broke him. And Frankie still had yet to fix him.

"I think it's for the best."

"No, Edward shook his head sadly, It's not. I'm getting better. I am."

"It's not about that, Ed. It's about what I did to you. That's on me. I just think you need some time alone."

"You said you wouldn't leave."

"I know. But I'm doing this for you big brother. Because I…"

"Because you love me. I love you too."

Frankie smiled and they hugged. The door opened and Ed could already feel himself breaking again. Could feel his soul shattering into tiny pieces.

"I'm sorry, Edward."

And with that he closed the door and it seemed like he was never there in the first place. He felt like he should open it again and say something. But there was nothing to say. He would be back anyway.

Edward went into the kitchen to get some blood but he ended up throwing it on the nicely polished tile. So he curled back up on the couch and thought painfully again of what he had just lost. His humanity, his innocence, his happiness. And more importantly…

His childlike love for Frankie

**FIN**


End file.
